


Make a Wish, Blow out the Candle

by a1_kitkat



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Birthday Fluff, Boys Kissing, Established Relationship, Ficlet, Gift Fic, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Talk of past canon abuse, mostly just talking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-14 09:54:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28668819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a1_kitkat/pseuds/a1_kitkat
Summary: Alex has never been much into celebrating his birthday but Forrest is going to help him.
Relationships: Forrest Long/Alex Manes
Comments: 4
Kudos: 25





	Make a Wish, Blow out the Candle

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ExcusemyfrenchGH](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExcusemyfrenchGH/gifts).



> I know I was done with RNM but it was a friends birthday and I couldn’t not write something to celebrate :)

The water was warm, lights down low and the room itself was just utterly cosy. It was a struggle to keep his eyes open, tired after a long day of research and learning nothing except the buried truth that he still had demons in his life and in his mind.

A panic attack in the bunker hadn’t been on his list of things to do that day but it had happened. Fortunately for him, Kyle had shown up with coffee at just the right time and, in his own way, had helped Alex through it.

Kyle had ordered him to go home and relax, to stop pushing himself so hard. Alex had tried to argue with him but in the end had relented, gone home and drawn himself a warm bath.

His skin was beginning to wrinkle from being in the water so long but he didn’t care, was too comfortable, too relaxed, to climb out.

A gentle knock at the bathroom door caused him to open his eyes. He was instantly on alert but instead of bracing for an intruder, his eyes focused on the flicker of candlelight that entered the room. The flame of the single candle was illuminating a cupcake in Forrest’s hand.

“You didn’t fall asleep again, did you?” Forrest’s voice was soft and gentle.

“No,” Alex murmured. “I’m awake. How did you know I was-?”

“Actually following doctors orders? I didn’t.”

Forrest moved further into the bathroom and sank down onto the floor beside the tub. He reached for Alex’s hand and softly kissed the back of his palm.

“But there was always a chance,” Forrest added. “You wanna talk about it?”

“Talk about what?”

“Oh? You wanna play the ‘bury it deep and pretend it didn’t happen’ game.”

“Forrest-”

“You know all my triggers,” Forrest stated. “I’ve never hid them from you.”

“And you know mine are  _ way _ more complicated than yours.”

“Trauma isn’t a competition, Alex… But I always found it helped me to talk about it, with other people.”

“Is that why you’re here? To talk?”

“I’m here because you’re my boyfriend and I care about you and we had plans for tonight.”

“We did?”

Alex blinked in confusion as Forrest held up the cupcake for him to see. 

“You really thought I’d leave you alone on your birthday?” Forrest whispered. “I was gonna come later but after Valenti called and told me what happened…”

“He shouldn’t have bothered you-”

“Alex, I  _ want  _ to be ‘bothered’. I want to be there for you.”

Alex sighed.

“You wanna start by helping me out of the tub?”

“Let me put your cake in a safe place first.”

Forrest got to his feet, placed the cupcake on the vanity then grabbed a towel. He moved back towards the tub and reached for Alex who immediately wrapped his arms around Forrest and kissed him deeply. He was quick to return the embrace but when they parted, he tried to fix him with a stern look.

“If you think you can change the subject by kissing me…” Forrest whispered. “It’s definitely working.”

Alex laughed and kissed him again before relenting. He allowed Forrest to help him up and from the tub. He wrapped the towel around Alex who was steady on his one leg. Alex pulled Forrest closer for another kiss.

“You appear to have too many clothes on,” Alex said to him.

“Oh? First you’re trying to distract me with kisses and now you want sex?” Forrest asked.

“Well… it  _ is  _ my birthday and it’s customary to get a birthday wish…”

“You have to make the wish and blow out the candle first…”

“So let’s do that then.”

Forrest chuckled then guided Alex from the bathroom. He tried to lead him into the living room but Alex was very adamant that he needed to go into the bedroom. They made it through the doorway and Alex sank down onto his bed. He watched as Forrest vanished then reappeared a moment later with the cupcake.

He kicked off his shoes and climbed onto the bed with Alex, holding the cupcake out to him.

“Close your eyes and make a wish,” Forrest said. “But don’t waste it on sex because that’s probably inevitable… Like you said, it’s your birthday.”

Alex looked at the flickering flame of the candle before turning his gaze to Forrest who was still looking at him with a hint of concern in his eyes.

“I was only joking,” Alex confessed as he reached for Forrest’s hand. “About the whole birthday wish thing… I stopped making wishes years ago because they never came true…”

Forrest didn’t know what to say.

“I wished my mom would come back but she didn’t and then I started wishing my dad would stop beating me… Then I just… stopped wasting my time, even when I was deployed and the guys would try to get me to celebrate… There was never any point… It’s not like I could wish to come home or…” he softly trailed off.

There’d been a lot of things he’d wanted to wish for over the years… For his mom to return, his dad to leave, Michael’s forgiveness for what happened that night in the tool shed. Each year, he’d wanted to wish to see Michael again but even now he couldn’t wish to go back to the way things were because he was happy now.

“We can’t change the past,” Alex said. “It’s what shapes up, makes us who we are… My dad tried to beat me down and I can’t undo that, can’t wish it away.”

“But you don’t have to bury your head in the sand either. You’re right, we can’t change the past… You can’t wish your leg to grow up; I can’t wish myself to be straight… But we’re also driven by hope. It’s what makes us… I don’t know… human? We’re a hopeful bunch and… I’m hopeful that you’ll continue to open up to me, talk to me.”

“Forrest-”

“I know you have secrets and that’s okay, I don’t need to know every minuscule detail of your life but I appreciate when you let me in.”

“It’s not always easy for me to talk about.”

“And I do respect that but when you have an emotional breakdown… I shouldn’t have to hear about it from someone else; I want to be there for you, to be the one you call when you need help.” He held up the cupcake. “The one you want to spend your birthday with.”

Alex closed his eyes and blew out the candle.

Forrest removed the candle and the wrapping but Alex reached over, grasped his wrist then brought the cupcake up to his lips. He watched as Alex’s tongue stole a chunk of icing from the top. Forrest grinned to himself then leaned forward and kissed Alex, tasting the icing on his lips.

“I’ve spent my last three birthdays alone,” Alex confessed. “Partly by choice and partly because no one has tried to spend it with me… Until today; until you.”

“I want to be here with you, not  _ just _ for your birthday.”

Alex took another taste of the cupcake then offered a bite to Forrest. They shared it between them before finishing with a kiss. A kiss that led to much, much more.

*

Later, Forrest lay with his face nuzzled into Alex’s neck and smiling at the feeling of the man’s fingers brushing through his locks.

“I hate feeling like I’m a burden,” Alex softly whispered. “After my leg… I was driven to make it on my own and not rely on anyone… Because I didn’t want to need help. People looked at me differently when I used the crutch. It’s why I didn’t tell you straight away-”

“You thought I’d lose interest in you? For being a hero?”

“I’m not a hero; I got injured, I lost a piece of myself and had nightmares for months. I still have them from time to time.”

“Who doesn’t? We all have nightmares, things we’d rather forget but that doesn’t make us weak  _ or _ a burden on others.”

“If I’d made a wish on that candle, it wouldn’t have been for a pep talk.”

Forrest extracted himself from Alex’s arms and looked into his eyes.

“This isn’t a pep talk,” he explained. “It’s just honesty. I need you to know that you can talk to me, about anything and I’ll listen.”

“I know, trust me, I know,” Alex replied. “And I love you for it but I’m scared that there’s a… a floodgate inside me and when it finally breaks open, you’re not going to like that part of me.”

Forrest leaned closer and kissed Alex’s forehead.

“I can’t imagine there’s any part of you, inside or out, that I wouldn’t like. You’re a badass hero and honestly there’s nothing sexier.”

“Nothing sexier than a wounded vet with ptsd and daddy issues?” Alex asked.

“All those things you see as flaws, they make you human.”

“You didn’t say normal.”

“What is normal anyway? A dysfunctional family, a traumatic past, a complicated relationship with your ex? A dislike of birthdays? None of those things are gonna send me packing…”

“Just wait until you see how I react to  _ other _ people’s birthdays…” Alex tried to tease.

“Mine’s only two months away,” Forrest said. “Chocolate cake is my favorite.”

“I’ll remember that.”

Forrest placed his hand to Alex’s cheek, leaned in and kissed his lips.

“Happy birthday, Alex,” he whispered with a smile.

“Thank you for being here with me.”

“There’s nowhere else I’d want to be.”

  
  



End file.
